


More Than Words

by AyuOhseki



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9060016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyuOhseki/pseuds/AyuOhseki
Summary: A one-shot written for Tales of Secret Santa 2016. Luke wants to do something for Tear and asks his friends for advice. He's not very pleased with the results, but Tear may feel differently.





	

“I want to do something for Tear,” said Luke to Natalia and Guy, and that wasn’t the problem. The problem was he’d said it within earshot of Anise and Jade. “I know she never shows it, but she’s always pushing herself, even with her miasma toxicosis, and I can’t just tell her to stop...” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. “I at least want to let her know--I dunno. That I appreciate her?” Guy and Natalia’s grins kept growing, and that made his face grow hotter and hotter in turn. “And, uh... I don’t really know what kinds of things she likes, so... would you guys help me out? Please?”

“My, Luke! That’s so thoughtful of you!” Natalia declared, clapping her hands together. Though the lights were on the fritz at the Belkend Inn and the three of them sat at a table just under one of the busted bulbs, her smile lit up the whole room. “Yes, of course I’ll help! I was just thinking the same thing recently!”

“I’m right behind you, Luke,” Guy added, gesturing with one hand. He hadn’t stopped grinning, and since Tear was at the doctor’s for a check-up with Mieu for company and thus would be away long enough for them to discuss ideas, he probably wouldn’t stop grinning for a while. “Knowing Tear, I doubt she’d like anything too overblown. Maybe a small, personal gift.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely idea,” Natalia agreed. “Something utilitarian but attractive. Perhaps a fine new hairbrush? She has such beautiful hair.”

“Hmmm... That’s not a bad idea,” Guy mused, holding a hand to his chin.

“No, I’m thinking something bigger than that,” Luke said. “Like--” He spread out his arms. “Something that’d make her life easier, or something that’d make her happier! She’d still have to brush her own hair, right?”

“That is true,” Natalia admitted. “When you put it like that, I can see why you’ve had trouble thinking of something appropriate.”

“Maybe you could put those muscles of yours to good use and offer to give her a shoulder rub or a back massage,” Guy suggested, eyes twinkling. “Something to help her relax. That’d be really valuable to someone with a serious medical condition.”

Luke imagined laying his hands on Tear’s smooth, muscular shoulders and sliding them down her slender but unyielding back, and felt his face reach critical temperatures. “No! No way! That’d just be weird!”

“No? I thought it was a fine idea,” Natalia said, a smile playing on the corners of her lips. Then she sighed. “Then perhaps some sort of bathing salts, so that she can treat herself on her own time? Everyone must bathe, after all.”

“Pretty sure she likes showers better,” Luke said, thinking back to a remark Tear had made once when they’d been crossing the Chesedonia desert.

“And how would _you_ know that, you naughty devil?”

Luke yelped in what he would later claim was a very manly manner, jerking back in his chair and twisting around to see Jade and Anise on either side of him, grinning like cats who had gotten into the cream.

“My, my, Luke. Spying on young women in the bath is _terribly_ inappropriate behavior,” Jade added.

“Ewwww! Luke is a peeeerveeeeerrrt!” Anise chimed in, on the verge of laughter.

“No! I didn’t--I never--I didn’t do anything like that!!” Luke protested, almost falling out of his chair.

“Luke! I’m astonished at you! How could you do such a thing?!” Natalia demanded, hands on her hips, with such anger that it was plain she hadn’t realized it was a joke.

“I _didn’t_!!” Luke wailed.

Laughing despite himself, Guy held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey, let’s not mess with him _too_ hard. It’s Tear we’re talking about; anyone who tried to spy on _her_ in the shower would end up with a knife in the boot at best.”

“True,” Natalia admitted. “You really didn’t, Luke?”

“Of course not!!”

“Speaking from experience, Guy?” Jade teased as an aside.

“I’m sure you know it’s not,” he replied, his smile turning nervous. “I’m still alive, after all.”

“You can peek on _me_ in the shower if you want, Guy!” Anise chirped, hopping over to attempt to grab him by the arm. When he shrieked and hurled himself against the opposite wall, she puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

Luke groaned and palmed his forehead. “Did you two just come over here for a cheap laugh? I’m trying to figure out something serious!”

“Yes, your aim is ‘to do something for Tear,’ correct?” Jade said without missing a beat. “With how thoughtless and self-absorbed you tend to be, I expect it _would_ be a difficult endeavor.”

Luke let the insult lie. “Right. I’m not good at noticing things about other people. That’s why I was asking for help in the first place.”

“Ooh, what a mature counter.” Anise twirled to face him and sing-sang, “Lucky I’m here! _I_ know what Tear would like~!”

Luke perked up, but with caution. “Wh-what’s that?”

He felt Jade put something on his head; it slid down the sides of his head like a headband. Luke looked up and saw the edges of tufts of blue faux fur...

“My goodness, it’s adorable!” Natalia gasped. “Wherever did you two find a pair of cheagle ears?”

“There was a special in one of the Chesedonia markets when we passed through a while back,” Anise said smugly. “Tear will love it, I guarantee.”

“More precisely, she’ll love laughing herself silly over it,” Jade added, “but really, isn’t laughter the greatest gift of all?”

Luke was already reaching for the headband. “No way in hell,” he stated, red-faced.

“Luke! Are you implying that a bit of pride isn’t worth seeing Tear smile?” Natalia chided--and unlike Anise and Jade, she was dead serious.

Luke grimaced. “N-no, I’m not saying that! But I don’t want her to smile because I look stupid!”

Guy, who had recovered by then, crooked a smile at him. “Hey, why not? You know Tear’s not the type to tease you about something forever. That’s what these two are for.” He thumbed over at Anise and Jade. “The worst that’ll happen is she doesn’t think it’s funny at all, and then you can just take ‘em off.”

“Yes, indeed. I could hardly imagine Tear being cruel about it,” Natalia agreed.

“Well then, you’d best be on your way, Luke,” Jade said pleasantly. “Tear’s appointment ought to be ending any minute now, and what’s the point if you don’t greet her at the lab?”

“Wait, I’m not going out in _public_ with these on--”

“No complaining! Up an’ at ‘em!” Anise half-cheered, half-demanded, as she thrust a fist into the air.

Luke had plenty of complaints left, but between Guy and Jade, he soon found himself stumbling, nearly tumbling out the inn door. He turned around to glare at his friends, who all waved jauntily at him before shutting the door.

Grumbling, he adjusted the cheagle ear headband and glanced around. There were a few people around--Belkend wasn’t exactly a ghost town--but most people seemd more interested in whatever they were doing or wherever they were going. He was tempted to just take off the headband, throw it in the trash, and claim the wind knocked them off, but... no, Tear liked Mieu, so she _would_ probably find it funny, right? Luke couldn’t even think of a time when he’d heard laugh, so fine, if it cheered her up, he could take a bit of embarrassing.

But he was _so_ getting those jerks back for this. Somehow. _Somehow_.

\---

Tear suppressed a sigh as she left her check-up with Dr. Shu, Mieu perched on her shoulder. She didn’t want to worry him after he’d been kind enough to accompany her here and wait for her outside, but her condition wasn’t getting any better. She hadn’t expected it to, all considered, but she knew if she said anything like that to the others, they’d worry unnecessarily. At least she was able to get a refill of her prescription; she should be able to manage for now.

As she opened the door to the street, Mieu’s bushy ears twitched, pulling her thoughts from her introspection. She glanced at him, then followed his stare forward to the street.

Luke stood here, blushing scarlet as he scowled. It was easy to see the reason for his bad mood; on top of his head fluttered a pair of thick, furry, tufted fake cheagle ears.

Tear’s heart skipped a beat as she covered her mouth with one hand.

“Wow, Master, you look just like me!” Mieu squeaked.

“Don’t--rub it in, dammit!” Luke protested, the red now lighting up his ears.

Tear tried to find the words; failed.

“Mieu? You don’t like them?” Mieu wondered.

“ _No_ , obviously!”

“Then why are you wearing them?”

And Luke glanced at her as he hesitated. Some things didn’t need words, Tear realized; she understood in a glance. In that moment, she couldn’t hold it back any longer--she burst into quiet giggles.

Luke groaned. “Okay, okay, laugh it up. Have your fun.”

“I-I’m sorry,” she gasped after a moment, catching her breath. “I-I wasn’t expecting this at all.”

“You look adorable, Master!” Mieu squeaked.

“You do,” Tear agreed warmly. Somehow, Luke being embarrassed about it let her not be. “Who talked you into it?”

“Wh--uh...” He hesitated; when Tear started walking for the inn, he fell into step with her. “Everyone did. But, uh... it was Anise’s idea.”

_Anise, honestly, you promised..._ Tear thought, holding a hand to her mouth again, remembering how Anise had caught her with a rappig plushie a while back. On the one hand, she was grateful for her consideration; on the other, now she was starting to get embarrassed too. “I’m sorry you had to embarrass yourself for me.”

“Well, uh--I wanted to do something for you!” he protested, averting his eyes. “And I figured, I’ve never seen you laugh before, so... Uh, I hope I didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have?”

Tear paused mentally to hear it. He’d never seen her laugh...? No, that was no doubt true. Their journeys together haven’t exactly been for amusement, and she’d had precious little to be happy over, all considered. It might have been a small gesture, but the more she thought about it, the sweeter it seemed.

So:

She smiled at him warmly. “You didn’t. Thank you,” Tear said sincerely. “I haven’t felt that cheerful in a long time.”

Luke broke into a slow but genuine smile of his own, scratched his cheek, and didn’t reply. But then, neither of them needed words. It was enough to let the feeling carry them all the way back to the inn.


End file.
